CONTRACT LABOUR: A NECESSARY EVIL?
June
7, 2016
Comment
Contract
Labour: A necessary evil
The
excellent cover story on “Contract Labour: An era of live-in relationship” (Business Manager, May 2016) should be an eye opener for all the beneficiaries and victims of the
age-old practice of legalised ‘bonded labour’ in India. In the Indian context,
the debate has more relevance, as several social security systems available in
other countries are conspicuous by their absence in this country. Allow me to quote a
paragraph from Sir Thomas Munro’s December 31, 1824 observations appearing in East India Papers (Vol iii, London,1826,
quoted in Economic History of India, Romesh Dutt, C.I.E):
“Even if we could suppose that it were
practicable without the aid of a single native to conduct the whole affairs of
the country both in the higher and in all the subordinate offices, by means of
Europeans, it ought not to be done, because it would be both politically and
morally wrong. The great number of public offices in which the natives are
employed is one of the strongest causes of their attachment to our Government.
In proportion as we exclude them from these, we lose our hold on them, and were
the exclusion entire, we should have their hatred in place of their attachment,
their feelings would be communicated to the whole population, and to the native
troops, and would excite a spirit of discontent too powerful for us to subdue
or resist. But were it possible that they could submit silently and without
opposition, the case would be worse, they would sink in character, they would
lose the hope of public office and distinction all laudable ambition, and would
degenerate into an indolent and abject race, incapable of any higher pursuit
than the mere gratification of their appetites. It would certainly be more
desirable that we should be expelled from the country altogether, than that the
result of our system of government should be such a debasement of a whole
people.”
I
found the above thoughts relevant in the context of the treatment meted out to ‘contract
labour’ or the workforce on which the present day ‘service providers’ (a
brilliant transformation from the ‘contractor’ of 20th Century!)
depend for execution of both skilled and unskilled work for their ‘clients’
(again, not masters, they are now clients!). Just substitute PSUs or corporates
for public offices and ‘outsourced’ or ‘contract’ employees for natives in the
above narrative and you are close to the present day reality.
Until
the country is in a position to put in place a realistic and universally
acceptable prices, wages and income policy and a reasonably fool-proof social
security system for all categories of citizens, we need to encourage regular
employment of workforce by all establishments which can afford that
dispensation. Those who work on contract today are exploited by all greedy
employers, from multi-national companies to village offices.
M G Warrier,
Mumbai
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